Sammamish Rotary Goes Down on the Farm

Sammamish Rotarians traded our usual meeting room for fields and pastures during a special visit to Carnation Farms on August 27.

Our guide was Diana Baszucki, Marketing Coordinator for Carnation Farms, who gave us a warm welcome and an informative tour. Diana introduced us to the farm’s regenerative approach to agriculture—farming practices designed not only to produce food, but also to enrich the soil, support healthy ecosystems and care for the land for future generations.

Located in the beautiful Snoqualmie Valley, the historic nonprofit farm has been connecting people with agriculture since 1908. Today, its work includes organic produce, pasture-raised livestock, educational programs, workshops and seasonal community events.

We also learned about Carnation Farms’ wonderful farm-to-table dinners. These special meals feature seasonal menus inspired by ingredients grown in the farm’s fields and raised on its pastures. Diners have an opportunity to enjoy an excellent meal while learning more about the farmers, chefs and land that helped bring it to the table.

Of course, the undisputed stars of our visit were the sheep.

Rotarian Jon Gerace made a particularly close new friend—although we are not entirely certain whether the sheep’s name was Rufus, Romney or Finn. Jon may not be sure, either. The important thing is that they appeared to understand one another perfectly.

The visit was a wonderful reminder of how much innovative and community-minded work is happening just beyond our own backyard. Many thanks to Diana and everyone at Carnation Farms for welcoming us and sharing their knowledge, their beautiful farm and, most especially, their sheep.

To learn more about Carnation Farms, its Farmstand, workshops, tours and farm-to-table dinners, visit carnationfarms.org.